This afternoon we traveled to Hassan Tower- a structure that was supposed to be the largest minaret of the largest mosque in the world. The mosque construction however, stopped in 1199AD and the tower was left only reaching half of its intended height. There are also many columns that were started for the construction of the mosque, but like the minaret, they were left unfinished. Opposite from the tower is the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, an incredibly ornate building housing the tombs of King Mohammed V, King Hassan II and Prince Abdallah. All three kings are members of the Alaouite dynasty, with King Mohammed V being responsible for negotiating independence for Morocco in 1956 after years of French rule. King Hassan II ruled from 1961-1999, and his son, King Mohammed VI is currently the king of Morocco. The site, with both Hassan tower and the mausoleum were added to the World Heritage Sites list in 2012. The site had a few others tourists and some women trying to draw henna tattoos on people's arms in order to make money. This was the day I learned the Moroccan Arabic word for "no". When a woman approaches you wanting to "give you a gift of henna", she is inevitably going to want money- so it is important to be firm in saying "la" (no) and "socran" (thank you) in order to get out of the situation. Unfortunately a few of the teachers I was traveling with were blindsided by the henna women and ended up with unwanted tattoos on their arms. I will admit, when the women approached me, I pulled my sleeves down so no skin was showing and practiced my pronunciation of "la" rather loudly.
3 Comments
Brad
3/14/2014 02:56:29 am
Have you had a chance to learn of any American WWII cemeteries in Morocco? Are they taken care of as well as the ones in Europe? Just curious...
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Erica H (:
3/16/2014 03:52:08 am
OH MY GOSH! It's so beautiful there! I'm so glad you're having fun! Thanks for keeping us all updated on your trip - it's so awesome to read about all of the different culture. (it makes me realize how far off I was on my Morroccan exchange worksheet) haha you look super pretty by the way! See you soon! Have a great rest of your vacation! (:
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LBaysinger
3/16/2014 05:12:03 am
My environmental science class is studying the world water crisis. Morocco shows on the global map as being a location where the water crisis is an issue. Can you give us any insight as to why, how do they obtain their water, what issues are they having, is it a regional problem or country wide, etc.. Thanks so much :)
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AuthorI'm a high school AP geography and world history teacher, traveling to Morocco with Teachers for Global Classrooms to bring cultural insight back to my community. Archives
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